Basic Basement Co

We were very satisfied with the Basic Basement Co. The project was finished quicker than expected ( 2 weeks) and we are extremely happy with the results.

Things did start off going pretty well. However we did have some red flags come up when they were working on the tile. They did split the tile to make everything more symmetrical in the bathroom and then charged us an additional $300 to do that. They did put the trim for the tile on upside down, and we would like that rectified. In our contract he mentioned that the exhaust vent would run up through the ceiling and roof. We did have some issues getting this installed. Every time we asked somebody if they were installing the vent we would be told that somebody else would handle it. Finally somebody was up there to get it installed so we thought it was handled just fine. When we had an inspector come to the home, I asked him to go into the attic and make sure it was connected correctly because I was unable to check it. He did go up there and said the vent was not installed and failed the inspection. I got back in touch with the company and now they want to take the easy way out and connect it to another duct or run it through the side of the house. I just want them to do it correctly and run it through the ceiling and roof as stated in the contract. The tile that meets the ceiling is uneven and the floor is uneven. They charged us additional $225 because they had to move a vent coming off the tub. They also charged my wife $150 for cut off valves on the shower, which was included in the contract price. There was an oversight on a lot of things. I have noticed now that the grout is washing out between the tiles. I called back to have them come fix it and was told that the project manager hurt his back and it would have to wait. I called back again and was told that they would not come back to fix the problem. I have tried to reach a financial settlement with them as well, but what they are offering isn't sufficient.

The work went very well. The inspectors as well as other contractors have commented on how good of a job Basic Basements did. Very few issues were encountered along the way, and most were quickly and easily resolved. Basic Basements was good to their word about not having additional charges that popped up along the job, the only one was a small charge for a plumber to come out to disconnect and reconnect the baseboard heater when it was determined that it would not be possible to complete the job without bringing in a plumber. The basement looks fantastic, and I would highly recommend Basic Basements to anyone looking for a simple, straightforward basement finishing that's done at a high standard of craftsmanship and professionalism.

I must say that I have never been more impressed with a company that has done any work on my house before. My 1st date of contact with them was on January 17, 2013 when they sent a representative to do an assessment of the project that my wife and I wanted. This individual was not only extremely professional and personable but we knew right away that we are making the right decision with this company as he laid out an affordable plan for us. The weeks that followed, involved waiting to receive a permit and begin work. Once the permit was received, the company scheduled their individuals to frame the basement and also had the initial electrical work done. Everything was done in an extremely timely fashion. Then the initial inspections were done and as the Township of Manalapan is very strict, there was a slight "hiccup" with the inspector, which was quickly corrected by the electrician. Next, began the dry walling, which was done in a timely and professional fashion. After that there were final touches made on the dry walling and spackling. This took some time but it was done correctly and professionally. Then the electrician returned and did extensive work to include placement of an additional power outlet panel in our garage. This took some time but we were impressed with the way they connected everything so efficiently allowing this basement room to have more light than most of our rooms upstairs. Next, the room was painted and then carpeted (which they don't do and outside individuals were hired for this). After all this, they returned to do some final touches and we then braced for the final inspections. Because of the initial hiccup of the initial inspection for electrical, the electrician actually was present during this inspection. He was able to answer any questions that the inspector had and as a result we did very well during the final inspection and passed. I found his presence during this inspection to go above and beyond anything I expected. Secondly, during the structural inspection, the inspector wouldn't pass the basement, unless the area under the stairs was dry walled. When I picked up the phone and told the company this, they sent somebody over within hours to get that area dry walled. The following day the inspector was impressed with that work and passed us on the structural inspection. All in all, I am extremely impressed with this company. From start to finish, I was very impressed with the way they worked efficiently and in a timely fashion. As far as my situation was concerned, I am active-duty military and was due deploy in June. I told them I would need to keep everything moving on this project from January to June, and they definitely honored my request. I was able to finish this project so my wife would not have to handle any issues related to it. Despite any minor issues that occurred during the 5 months I was working with them, they honored all my requests, were very flexible, punctual, professional, responsive to any needs I had, gave me a fair price, and were prompt answering any requests by email or phone. I want to give special kudos to 4 people in that company: 1. Gail -- who was responsible for communicating with me throughout the process. She showed a great deal of patience and professionalism and is the perfect liaison person for this company. 2. Stu -- I believe he is the owner and actually came to our house around the time of the final inspections. He was extremely professional and made sure the job was done to our satisfaction. 3. The electrician - not only did he do an outstanding job in installing all electrical work in the basement, but he was even present during the final inspection, which went above and beyond anything I expected. 4. Mike Chizhik-- who was the initial sales representative who came to our house to work with my wife and I on the project. Unfortunately, he is no longer with the company (he received a better opportunity recently). As I mentioned above, he helped ease our initial reservations about doing this project and we appreciated his support throughout the project. What else can I say? I 100 percent recommend this company and I really wish I had another basement for them to work on in my house!!!!!!!

Dan Tisoskey (project manager) listened to our plans for our unfinished basement. Great to work with. He took measurements and gave us a proposal. We agreed with his proposal. The appropriate plans were submitted to the local township for Building permits. Work was started once the permits were approved. The crews arrived on time for their respective tasks, finished on time, cleaned up after each task. Gail Torrelio, (office manager) kept us informed of all upcoming appointments. Saw to it, that inspectors were scheduled in a timely fashion after every step. A joy to work with. The entire crew, the folks that put in the framing, sheet rock and subsequent sanding, electrical, carpentry, what a great gang. We are extremely pleased with Basic Basements, we have recommended them to family and friends and will continue to do that. We are planning to use the company again to assist with our bathroom remodel later this year.

Did not hire after getting the estimate

We were very happy with the Basic Basement Company, from the first time that Dan sold us on them to the final product. On their first visit, they spend about 2-3 hours with you, take measurements and give you an immediate quote. Listen, I wasn't sure about it going in. I mean 800 sq feet of basement for under $10k, but it's completely legit. We only spent more becasuse PA code requires an egress window and that window was still $2k less than some of their competitors. And the quality is just if good, if not better. One of the inspectors said that the window was even larger than what the code mandates. All in all, their final price was about $5-$7k less than the contractors we spoke to. Just so you know, they do everything but the paint and the floors. But still the savings is $5-$7k. Everything that the Basic Basement does is in stages. There's a different team there to install the windows, put up the drywall, add the electrical outlets, etc. It's not an issue though since they work with the best of the best. All of their teams are very skilled. Yes, it helps having a design down pat before they arrive, since if you change your mind on where you want something, it's not easy retrofitting. But that's with anything. And it's more on the homeowners to have that design in place since these guys will make anything happen for you. And everything starts with Gail. She's incredible. She works out of the NJ office. We spoke to her a few times a week. She handles everything, the ordering of materials, the calls with inspectors, all the scheduling. Unbelievable! What a resource. To wit, when my pregnant wife had fears that the drywall would smell too much and not be good for the baby, Gail offered to put us in a hotel for the night and on the Basic Basement's dollar. We didn't accept and the smells were just fine, but what a nice thought. Thank you, Gail! Ultimately, the quality of work was great, and what a value. It's ashame they get a bad rating from someone that didn't even use their service. That shouldn't even be allowed. Time-out! Use these guys, save some coin, and you'll be very happy with the professionalism and the end result. And use me as a reference!

We highly recommend Basic Basement Co. for your basement finishing needs. They provide excellent work at a great price, and were in touch throughout the entire construction process to ensure all our needs were met. The project and construction teams were very professional and flexible with our schedules. The working crew was so clean and made every effort to be undisruptive to the rest of the house. Basic Basement Co. made it extremely easy from start to finish to get the project done. We are extremely satisfied and would recommend them to our family and friends. We even recommended them to our township inspector, who was highly impressed with the workmanship. The finished basement is even better than expected?our family is enjoying our newly added living space. Thank you again!

I got an appointment for my 500 sq ft basement (for 2 weeks later). I needed a very basic basement. Wanted to go with the basic package and asked for nothing extra or unusual. The person came on time (6pm). He took 2+ hrs to do some dimensions using some funky latest laser instruments and prepared a contract (using a laptop and printer on the spot). First shock - the sq ft area of my basement as per him was 1600+ sq ft and the liner length was 180+ ft (In reality its less than 500 sq ft area and about 87 liner ft perimeter of walls). I told him that your measurements/calculations are completely inaccurate. He went again in the basement and took 1 more hr. This time he came with a new contract with about 600 sq ft area and 125+ ft liner length (don?t know how things changed - but he blamed hos computer software). Anyway - these were also not accurate. So I asked him again. It was 10pm by then. So I had to request him that it?s time for us to sleep. Finally he said he will redo his numbers etc. and send me the contract next day by email. He came up with the correct area finally but the perimeter was still way off the mark (I understand that he was double counting some walls that needed to be dry walled on both sides - but it was still off the mark even after accounting for that). They gave me an estimate of about 12k plus for my small 500 ft basement. I was expecting no more than 9999 since that?s what they advertise but they were not willing to accept that. So basically they just don?t want to honor the website pricing plus they fool you by making wrong measurements (or they have really dumb people for the job). Anyway overall a very very frustrating experience. Will never use them or recommend them. Not sure how they have all good reviews on Angies list.

The experience was extremely satisfying from beginning to end and the work was completed within the agreed timeline. The price was great when compared with other quotes which were extremely high, and was within our budget. The Project Manager and contractors were professional, reliable, punctual and pleasant. The Office Manager, Gail, was also very professional and responded promptly to calls for scheduling, etc. She also communicated by e:mail before the work began, when the work was in progress and after the work was completed. The inspectors were also very impressed with the final product. We highly recommend this company and would not hesitate to use their services in the future.

The workers and work coordinators are great(efficient and well trained) and get the right outcomes even if things change from the original slightly can work with you. Simply cannot beat the combination of price and final product. Thanks to all at BBC helping us nearly double the size of our house!

We saw Basic Basement's good review from Angie's list and had them come over for an estimate. We agreed on the price and start date on 11/12/2012. The work was very organized and speedy. It took about a month to finish my 945 SF basement. Workers are friendly and helpful. Gail kept me updated through email on daily basis. Everything went smoothly. And there were couple minor stuff that needed fixed after the job was done. Gail gladly sent over her guys and fixed them all to ensure client satisfaction. I will definitely recommend them for anyone that plans to finish his/her basement.

Very good experience from start to finish. My Salesman Todd was thorough and professional. The price quote was accurate with only 1 minor add on. All of the work was done right. They were prompt in the mornings, and cleaned up daily. All trash was removed from the premises usually the same day. All the scheduling was done working with Gail in the office. She was terrific. Whenever i needed anything, she was responsive. I wish I could get this kind of service from all establishments.

We recently had our basement finished which included a 1/2 bath and were extremely satisfied with the overall experience from beginning to end. The quality of work was unmatched and even the building inspector commented on the professional work completed. The project manager Rick, the office staff Gail and crews were attentive, patient, professional, responsive and helpful in the entire process. Would highly recommend to others. Additionally, the price was the best offered and no other company came close!

Great people to work with. Very professional and responsive office manager. Work was completed on time and the communication was excellent. Had some issues with some work but they were very professional and fixed it promptly. Have no issues recommending them and their great customer service.

My wife and I have never been more satisfied with any contractor we have hired in all the years we have been homeowners and would recommend the Basic Basement Co 100% over and over again. From the initial estimate which was plotted by a professional at our home, to the project manager that handled all our details, the process was fast, seamless and very reasonably priced. I really wish they would add a bathroom remodeling and kitchen remodeling division so we could be assured that these future projects are handled just as professionally and efficiently for us.who we

Recommended 110%. The people they used for electrical, painting, framing, sheetrocking, etc were top notch, professional, friendly and worked quickly. And having someone at the office during the day made contact with them very easy if I had any questions. And the one minor mistake they made was immediately corrected with no questions asked. And the price they gave was about much less than estimates we got from others. Great service at a low price- what more can one ask for!

Overall our expectations were met with the highest professionalism and quality. My wife and I decided to have our new home's basement finished. Basic Basement's exemplary work turned our 850 sq. ft. bare, cold concrete basement into a warm, useable room complete with reset lighting, air conditioning vents and several useable power outlets. Their attention to detail was impeccable from start to finish.My wife and I had just started calling around when I happened to see a truck parked next to mine at a local convenient store. I could not miss the truck as it was well advertised about the Basic Basement company. I asked the driver for a card and a short few days later we had a sales representative walk through our basement. A few days later he returned with a very detailed computerized lay out of our basement. He was obviously listening closely, because my wife is very detailed and specific where she wants things placed. The diagram he showed us had every option my wife was considering, already in the layout. He covered the estimate,construction process and a noteworthy arrangement for payments. The financial arrangement was one of the key selling points, because we did not have to pay everything up front. We were very cautious about companies that wanted everything paid up front and in full. We had heard of too many friends, neighbors and relatives who were ripped off by giving certain firms by paying all funding up front, only to have the projects incomplete.Basic Basements employees and contractors were always on time and took care when entering and leaving our home, as not to damage the walls and floors. If we had a question it was immediately answered, or we received a call from the main office who would get us the answered we needed. Our basement was finished very quickly and we were amazed how fast they were able to turn out old basement into an extremely inviting room almost over night.Although their project was finished several months ago, Basic Basement is always eager to help or have a technician come over for any issues, not even relating to their project. We have used them several times since on other smaller projects. We know we can count on them, and give them a rating of the highest caliber. We will continue to refer Basic Basements to everyone and anyone.

When my wife and I decide to finish our basement, we started looking around and asking friends and relatives who finished their basements. My cousin, who finished his basement about 7 years ago had it done with a general contractor who did a decent job; but he was not licensed; so my cousin had to get all the permits under his name. In addition, the cost was about $30,000 for very much the same area I have. And this was 7 years ago.Another friend who was finishing his basement with ?Basic Basements? was so happy with their work so I decided to give them a call. After a couple of visits and discussions, the estimate jumped to about $30,000 which was reasonable for the amount of work and upgrades I wanted to have to my basement. We signed the contract and started working on the project late August.The whole thing took about 6 weeks start to finish and during this time; all my modifications were accommodated.The director ?and owner- of the company unexpectedly showed up many times during the work and he had his comments which -most of the time- meant more work for his men but he wanted things to go perfect which I appreciated. During the work, two things went wrong but was brought back to the right track be the intervention of the director who was doing a great job making us happy. First:Since I have my entire house hard-wired for network, audio and video with main distribution and control units in the basement, the main reason for me to have a dropped ceiling was to be able to access all my network audio and video cables when needed. However, A soffit had to be built to hide some recessed sewer pipes and that had to be covered with sheetrock.The framers decided to make this soffit very wide to accommodate the widest area of recessed tubing despite my requests to make it narrow all the way and accommodate the wide area ?which was about 10% only of the entire length- separately to ease my access to the main wiring section passing right above the pipe. I tried convincing them but they just continued working.Upon meeting the director the same day and speaking to him about the situation, he was convinced with my request and asked his guys to take the entire soffit down, and come to work on it ?my way- the next day which was a Saturday! Second:We have originally requested 2x4 florescent light blocks to be used all over the basement; but due to a design issue with the dropped ceiling blocks, this would have resulted in some of the lights going across the length of the basement and some going across the width which would have left an ugly looking lighting situation. I refused to let the electricians install the lighting this way and spoke to the director, who after coming and seeing the situation, ordered his guys to replace each 2x4 with two 2x2s (which was double the cost) at the expense of the company! The end result was a better distribution of light all over! The director passed by a couple of times after the job was finished to take some notes and even sent his guys twice to work on some of the issues I commented on. We could not be any happier! After they have completed their work; and since they do flooring separately -which would have brought the cost much higher than what we could afford- we finished the flooring ourselves. Final product: A perfectly finished basement.

I really liked them. The bid was for $22,000.

My wife and I decided to have our basement finished after debating the issue for a couple years. I decided to give The Basic Basement Company a call and they came out the very next day (on a Saturday!) for an in-home estimate. The sales-person was very professional and organized. I got a very good impression at that point that everything would be taken care of without any hassles, hang-ups or headaches. I was right. The construction began at our convenience and the whole thing was completed in less than one month from beginning to end. Very fast considering you have to wait for inspections from the township in between each step. All of the workers were very professional and skilled. The framing was done in a single day! Very impressive. Rough electrical took one day. The dry-wall took about 3 days (including taping and spackling). Final electric took one day. Finish work took one day. Painting took one day. We had the carpet installed earlier this week (which is NOT done by Basic Basements and is NOT included in the price so don't forget to budget for this!). The basement is complete and it really looks fantastic! We are very pleased, especially considering the very low price-tag. If you're thinking of finishing your basement and don't want to spend a fortune, definitely consider The Basic Basement Company. There really are no hidden fees or gimmicks. The only extra charge we incurred was to have part of the wall cut out on the side of our stairs to open things up a bit -- but they only charged $100 for it. The $9,999 that they advertise includes tax.

They had good pricing compared with other quotes we received and came highly recommended by several neighbors who had worked with them previously. They did not disappoint. Dominick was really helpful with layout ideas and very patient as we developed prices for a number of options. We got a good understanding of what extras (e.g. half walls) would likely cost prior to signing the contract, so we were able to proceed with some options still open. Once we finalized our plan, they moved quickly to get construction underway and the agreed scope was delivered for the contract price. Costs for the extras we chose were right in line with the earlier estimates. The project manager, Gail, did a wonderful job of helping us understand the local town approval and inspection processes, scheduling the different trades efficiently around those inspections and keeping us advised on next steps. She really minimized the overall delays to the project when the local town inspectors failed to show up as planned (twice!). All the Basic Basements contractors (framing, insulation, electrical, sheetrock, carpentry, painting) were experienced, courteous and punctual and they all worked quickly to a high standard. They were all very responsive to queries, proactive with proposed solutions to the inevitable challenges encountered and addressed any issues without hesitation. They really were a pleasure to work with. The finished product is just great – exactly what we had envisioned and further enhanced by the expertise & professionalism The Basic Basement Company brings to the table.

We have built 4 basements including this one since 1980 in homes we have purchased,this was the most wonderful experience we ever had with any contractors.Period. From the person who came to give us the estimate,the wonderful lady who handled the schedules with precise dates on what job was going to be done on which day,the framers,the plumber,the electrician,the carpenters to the painters each and every individual handled their job with professionalism.We had a lot of questions some I am sure dumb at times but they all took their time to explain and give us detailed information until we were satisfied. We are very happy and very satisfied with the job they did.

.Overall it went well , they do the paper work but customers have to take permit and pay the permit fee. Once permit is there, folk come over to inspect the work, validate the design , please make sure you spend extra time understanding and/or finalizing design at this time else it would be late to make costly changes. IN my case there was extra couple of weeks delay due to some misunderstanding on the design during the framing which was promptly corrected. This company demonstrates a lot of flexibility to meet customer's need and rectify problems as you report them. Project did complete late due to variety of reasons including reasons that I can't blame on them e.g. my sound insulation, theater planning and molding work etc. including some inspection/failure/correction cycle. Cost to complete was accurate and did not have to pay anything extra unless I asked for it. They are also flexible to take the cost out when you want other materials e.g. I got the carpeting done from third party, basic basement company credited me for hardwood installation for those many square footage. Highly recommended for competitive cost, customer service and flexibility.

They were pretty good. They came out quick and gave estimate, but they couldn't do everything else that I needed to. I didn't use them.